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Common Barriers to Listening. Barriers and bad habits to effective listening can include: trying to listen to more than one conversation at a time, you find the communicator attractive/unattractive, you are not interested, and etc.

Non-Verbal Signs of Ineffective Listening. Although with all non-verbal signals a certain amount of error has to be expected, generally signs of inattention while listening include: Lack of eye contact with the speaker, an inappropriate posture, being distracted, and etc.

Common Listening Misconceptions. One: It’s Difficult to Learn How to Listen. Two: I’m a Good Listener. Three: Intelligent People are Better Listeners. Four: Hearing is the same as Listening. Five: We Listen Better As We Get Older. Six: Gender Affects Listening Ability.

Types of Listening

General Listening Types

Discriminative Listening is the most basic form of listening and does not involve the understanding of the meaning of words or phrases but merely the different sounds that are produced.

Comprehensive listening involves understanding the message or messages that are being communicated.

Specific Listening Types

Informational Listening is to Learn.

Critical Listening is to Evaluate and Analyse.

Therapeutic or Empathetic Listening is to Understand Feeling and Emotion. There are 7 types of responses that we use when we are listening empathically : advising, judging, analying, questioning, comforting/supporting, prompting, and paraphrase.

Other Listening Types

Appreciative listening is listening for enjoyment. A good example is listening to music, especially as a way to relax.

Rapport Listening. When trying to build rapport with others we can engage in a type of listening that encourages the other person to trust and like us. A salesman, for example, may make an effort to listen carefully to what you are saying as a way to promote trust and potentially make a sale.

Active Listening

Non-Verbal Signs of Attentive or Active ListeningThis is a generic list of non-verbal signs of listening, in other words people who are listening are more likely to display at least some of these signs. However these signs may not be appropriate in all situations and across all cultures.

Verbal Signs of Attentive or Active Listening

The 10 Principles of Listening

Stop Talking, Prepare Yourself to Listen, Put the Speaker at Ease, Remove Distractions, Empathize, Be Patient, Avoid Personal Prejudice, Listen to the Tone, Listen for Ideas – Not Just Words, and Wait and Watch for Non-Verbal Communication

is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process. It is not the same as hearing and not everybody receive the same massage.